St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs, in their long histories, have won one premiership apiece. Hopes were high for both teams, as they played off for a Grand Final berth, that they could break through for their second. But after a low-scoring and tightly-fought contest, it was St Kilda who made it through for a date with destiny after the Saints completed a 7-point win in the First Preliminary Final on Friday night.The Bulldogs had the better of the early exchanges, and should have led by more than the 15 point advantage they held at the first change. The Bulldogs had three behinds, and another shot that went out on the full, before Shaun Higgins took a shot on the run from the 50 metre line that bounced through for the opening goal. Liam Picken converted a running goal, also bouncing it through; but they would be the only goals of the first term, and although the Bulldogs had the better of general play around the ground, they were unable to make any more of their opportunities.After quarter time, the Saints lifted and quickly got themselves back into the contest. Nick Riewoldt missed a set shot, but then Andrew McQualter won a free on the half-forward line and found a leading Nick Dal Santo for St Kilda’s opening goal. Shortly afterwards, McQualter went himself and got another goal, and suddenly there was only a kick in it. The Bulldogs needed to steady, and Mitchell Hahn gave them some badly-needed breathing space, twice outmarking Goddard to score a double within two minutes to restore the quarter time margin.Late in the quarter, Lenny Hayes snapped over his shoulder to score for the Saints; but both sides would be rueing the first half for the chances that were squandered. But the Bulldogs had, on balance, been the better team during the first half and held a seven point advantage at the long break.The third quarter began in controversy. As the umpire held the ball to start the quarter, Brian Lake delivered a push on Nick Riewoldt. The umpires awarded a free to Riewoldt on the 50 metre line, and the goal was converted to cut the margin to one point. A few minutes later, Justin Koschitzske went inside the 50 and found Sam Fisher, who marked and goaled to put the Saints in front for the first time. From the centre break, Nick Riewoldt on the lead took the mark and kicked his second.Momentum was running St Kilda’s way, but the Bulldogs fought back late in the third term. Against the run of play, Brad Johnson marked in the forward pocket, playing on and snapping a sensational captain’s goal. Shortly after, Daniel Giansiracusa found some room to move and played on to score, and the Bulldogs regained the lead. But in the final minute of the quarter, Stephen Milne grabbed the crumbs from a marking contest and snapped truly; giving the Saints a 5-point lead at three quarter time.It had been an absorbing contest, and with the high stakes of a Grand Final berth on offer, it would continue to be a high-desperation match through the last quarter. And at the 5-minute mark, Brad Johnson went up for a speckie, pulled the ball down, and kicked truly to put the Bulldogs back in front.The Saints went forward, and Andrew McQualter grabbed the crumbs from a marking contest; but as he was running into goal, he was run down from behind by Lindsay Gilbee for a holding-the-ball free. But at the 17-minute mark, Nick Riewoldt stood up and was counted, taking a strong pack mark and kicking truly to put the Saints back in the lead.

The pressure was on, and Brad Johnson and Daniel Giansiracusa missed shots they should have converted. St Kilda was leading by a point, and the clock was deep in time on. As the Saints went forward inside the 50, Nick Riewoldt soccered the ball off the ground. His fourth goal, at the 28 minute mark, made the game safe for the Saints and booked their place in football’s big day. It was a heart-breaking end to the season for the Bulldogs, who had worked so hard all night only to fall short. But the Saints, so dominant for so much of this season, have a chance to break through for the second premiership in next week’s Grand Final.St Kilda 0.2 3.6 7.6 9.6 (60)Western Bulldogs 2.5 4.7 6.7 7.11 (53)Goals : St Kilda – N Riewoldt 4, N Dal Santo, S Fisher, L Hayes, A McQualter, S Milne. Bulldogs – M Hahn 2, B Johnson 2, D Giansiracusa, S Higgins, L Picken.Best : St Kilda – L Hayes, N Riewoldt, C Jones, N Dal Santo, R Clarke, S Fisher. Bulldogs –M Boyd, R Griffen, J Harbrow, D Cross, L Gilbee, R Hargrave.Injuries : St Kilda – Nil. Bulldogs – Nil.Reports – Nil. Umpires - McInerney, McBurney, Chamberlain.Crowd - 78,245 at MCG.

After St Kilda’s narrow win in the first preliminary final, the MCG was also the venue for the second Grand Final playoff. And in contrast to the Friday game, this one was a blowout as Geelong dominated from start to finish to cruise to an emphatic 73-point win over Collingwood.Collingwood started brightly, kicking the first two goals of the game; but the Cats soon steadied and the Magpies were unable to score another for the quarter. Geelong began to get the better of play around the ground, but wasted opportunities and it wasn’t until into time on that the Cats took the lead. But their two late goals saw the Cats lead by 10 points at quarter time.When Paul Chapman kicked the opening goal of the second quarter, the Cats were looking well set. But the Magpies then began to fight back, attempting to work their way back into the contest. But their finishing would let them down badly. The Cats had been wasteful in the first term, but this time it was Collingwood whose radar would desert them when it mattered most. The Cats kicked four goals for the quarter, and led by 23 points late in the quarter before two late Magpie goals cut the margin to 11 points at the long break.With the lead, the Cats were in sight of their third Grand Final on the trot, and the premiership quarter all but ensured their qualification. An impressive goal by Joel Corey on a tight angle got them going, and with star midfielders Gary Ablett and Paul Chapman assuming complete dominance in the midfield, the Cats were able to create plenty of chances. The Cats kicked four goals to one for the quarter, leading by 34 points at the last change.Collingwood’s resistance had crumbled, and the final quarter was a Geelong exhibition as the Cats scored at will. Paul Chapman was unstoppable, driving the ball forward with regularity and kicking three goals for the quarter to finish with a bag of five in a best on ground performance. There was barely a ‘Geelong player who lowered their colours to their Magpie opponent during the final term, as the Cats kicked six unanswered goals while counting down to the final siren. And the Cats were relieved to go through the match with no injuries, and expecting to put in a full-strength side against the Saints in next week’s decider.And so it comes down to one game. Will the Cats return to premiership glory and atone for the shock of last year’s result? Or will the Saints carve out a slice of history and win their second premiership?Geelong 3.6 7.7 11.13 17.18 (120)Collingwood 2.2 5.8 6.9 6.11 (47)Goals : Geelong – P Chapman 5, T Hawkins 2, G Ablett 2, S Byrnes 2, T Varcoe 2, B Ottens, S Johnson, C Mooney, J Corey. Collingwood - L Brown, B Johnson, H O'Brien, T Lockyer, A Didak, B Macaffer.Best : Geelong – G Ablett, P Chapman, C Enright, J Bartel, J Corey, B Ottens. Collingwood – S O’Bree, L Brown, A Didak, H O’Brien, H Shaw, D Thomas.Injuries : Geelong – Nil. Collingwood – S Pendlebury (leg) replaced in selected side by D Beams.Reports – Nil. Umpires - McLaren, Rosebury, Ryan.Crowd - 87,258 at the MCG.